Novato-Redwood: The tale of the tape

After transcribing the tape from postgame interviews after Novato’s 53-14 victory over Redwood on Saturday, here are some conclusions:

On this day, at least, there was no issue with the way Novato’s offense piles up the points. Coach Travis Brackett’s Hornets are outscoring their MCAL opposition so drastically (237-36 in four games, an average of 59 points offense per outing) not because they run up the score but because they are simply that much more talented than the opposition.
Said Novato quarterback Jeff Stephens:
“Brackett never tries to run up the score. Hes gonna put us in there until he feels that we have a safe and sound lead and they cant come back. Some times it happens to be the second half or the fourth quarter.”
Added Brackett:
“We play all four quarters. Our boys are prepared for that.”
That sentiment was shared by Redwood coach Jim Nelson, who pointed out a recent game in Florida that ended 91-0 simply because one team was that much better than the other. The winners didn’t play several starters at all and pulled other players early. The winning coach was then criticized by some for scoring too much and took heat from others who were not happy that he limited his stars so much.
“They have some pretty lopsided scores,” Nelson said of Novato. “I think that Travis works his kids and they work hard. And when they get in the game, theyre going to get their touches. If they are playing a team like today that maybe does not do a good job to standing up to that … I know a lot of people complain about that. I think a lot of people want to be warm and fuzzy.”

Both teams focused on the concussion suffered by Redwood quarterback Ryan Russell as a key moment in the game. Russell took a blow to the head with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter at the end of a quarterback draw. Novato led 19-14 at the time, with Redwood facing a third-and-six from its own 26.
To that point, Russell had completed 7 of 13 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns, with three of the completions 17 yards or longer. Additionally, Redwood had run nine times for 40 yards.
With Russell then off and his game and eventually out of the game, the Hornets limited the Giants to 46 yards passing and -17 yards rushing the rest of the afternoon.
“It was a lot more lopsided,” than I expected it to be, Stephens said. “They came out the way I expected them to come out but I didnt think they would I thought they would keep up their intensity pretty much but that kind of sizzled down after Russell went down.”
Added defensive tackle Carlos Navarette:
“Once we saw their quarterback limping, we knew their offensive line, their receivers were feeling a little bit down without their star quarterback.”
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Novato’s Ricardo “Kiki” Mendez has been half of a potent rushing attack with Kyle Campas, but things are changing in that regard. With linebacker John Buada sidelined because of a torn knee ligament, Mendez will now see extensive playing time on defense. That is likely to limit his offensive playing time.
Mendez entered Saturday with 60 carries for 660 yards. But he didn’t get a rushing attempt until the fourth quarter against Redwood, finishing with five carries for 29 yards.

Mendez’s absence on offense provided more opportunities for others, and they responded. Josh Del Pino finished with a game-high 94 yards rushing, including jaunts of 19, 25 and 32 yards. And Logan Edwards got eight carries, including one that resulted in a four-yard touchdown run.

Nelson, in his seventh season at Redwood, has yet to beat Novato. But you get the sense that that isn’t keeping him awake at night.
“Ive never beaten Novato. But there are other schools that have never beaten us. So it goes both ways,” Nelson said. “They have a very good program. I grew in this county and there was a time when other schools were the dominant schools. Novato is having their run. And good for them. They do a nice job. They believe in what they are doing and you cant fault them for that.”